Elder Cook's Visit

This week was a busy and very special week with a visit from Elder Quentin L. Cook, Elder Ulisses Soares, and Bishop W. Christopher Waddell for an annual Area Review.

The whole weekend was all about the arrival of Elder’s Cook and Soares and Bishop Waddell. There were lunch and dinner assignments made to all the Senior Couples serving in the Area by Elder and Sister Norman in preparation to feed our guests while they are in Hong Kong.

 All the Church Employees in the area are finishing and putting final touches on Power Point presentations that will be presented to the visiting authorities. Stake Presidencies and Bishoprics are also busy preparing for Stake and Ward meetings that will be visited by the Area Presidency, Area Seventy and one or more of the Authorities from Salt Lake.

The coordination for a visit of multiple General Authorities visiting several countries in a week to participate in leadership training, statistical information reviews, and to preside over several Church meetings a day must be a tour guides nightmare. However, like many other complicated agenda’s undertaken by these special brethren the miracle unfolds day by day as the work is accomplished.

A special moment for Karen and I was to be included in a Missionary group photo with all the young Missionaries in Hong Kong and the visiting Authorities. We were also invited to a special meeting for the Missionaries and heard the testimonies of these special witnesses.

We also were able to get to the Temple this busy week. In addition to all the new experiences we were having outside the Temple I had a first as well in the Temple. I had the opportunity to officiate my very first English session in the Hong Kong Temple.

Between the time the visiting Authorities left Hong Kong to visit seven or eight other countries in the area, and the time they regrouped in Hong Kong, we could get a lot of Public Affairs work done. We were able to have our weekly calls with the other Area Senior Couples, teach institute, place an article in Newsroom for Malaysia, send out a news brief using the new Meltwater software, and interview the Lau’s for an article we plan on writing this next week. Karen also introduced the other Senior Couples serving in other countries to a request from Sharon Goodrich, a friend of Shannon’s. She is in Salt Lake and has been called to serve with The Liahona and Friend Magazines. She is looking for photos of children in Asian Countries for the magazines, so Sister Beckstead suggested on our weekly call ways we might be able to help her in her efforts.

We ended the week on Friday with our monthly birthday luncheon recognizing all the Senior Missionary May birthdays. We feasted on all the leftover food that was not consumed by our visitors during the week. That may not seem like much to you in the U.S. but after eight months of Chinese food it was a treat that measured up to the rest of the week.

We have a new member in our Branch.  Sister Archana Awhad Chavan is from India.   From left to right:  Elder Beckstead, Archana, Elder Kendell, and Elder Jensen.

Public Affairs in Malaysia

This week was particularly interesting because we added the dimension of traveling to our Missionary experiences.

The week started out wonderful because we met with my old buddy Chan Gaa Yan. We had lunch with Brother Chan,  his son Lance, and Lance’s wife Tracy. The restaurant he invited us to eat at is a traditional Chinese Restaurant with both good and gross food. It was fun to get together and share old memories with Gaa Yan while watching Karen try to swallow things never before introduced to the inside of her mouth. I was watching her in my peripheral vision try to hide something the size of a large prawn head including eyeballs with a few kernels of rice in her small bowl so our hosts would think she had eaten it. Although it was a good effort by Karen,  it was not at all conspicuous to our hosts,  who were gracious in allowing Karen to think she had succeeded in her attempt at deception.

Brother Chan is not currently active in the church,  but was happy to share with us that his son is currently serving as a Bishop of one of the Wards here,  and his daughter’s husband is a Patriarch in one of the Stakes here in Hong Kong.  Also,  his son in law is the grandson of Ng Gat Hing who served as the first Hong Kong Temple President and is a revered early member of the Church here, but has since passed away.

Before the end of our lunch we had been invited to several of the upcoming Chan family events such as birthday parties and baptisms that will take place in the coming months. It appears that we will have many opportunities to help Brother Chan recapture the light that once burned so brightly in his soul. I am so glad that we found him and we are able to reconnect after so many years.

After our day with the Chans, we packed and prepared to leave the next morning for a few days in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. I am surprised by the size and beauty of the cities in this part of the world. There are eight and a half million people in the city which is the home of the Petronas Towers, two of the most impressive buildings in the world.

Our Missionary Assignment is to bridge the gap of time between the Patterson’s leaving and a new Senior Missionary Couple arriving. We are to act as the interim support couple to the Malaysian Public Affairs National Director whose name is Carol Ng. Carol is Karen’s age, a widow of twelve years and a mother of two, a son and a daughter. She is a Realtor and is very capable of her assignment in Public Affairs.

While in Malaysia,  Carol introduced us to a friend of the Church in the Department of Women Development, Dr. Raja Kamariah Raja Mohd Khalad.  She also introduced us to a Rotarian, Rajah Renno,  that has placed over three thousand wheelchairs as a partner with LDS Charities throughout multiple cities in Malaysia. In the few days with Carol we were able to help her become more familiar with News room, Newsroom Facebook, the Public Affairs Network, and the Opinion Leader Data Base. We also met with the Public Affairs Council and became more aware of their plans and objectives for the next year.

Of course, like all the wonderful members we meet  in Asia,  Carol wanted us to experience some of the sights and sounds of Kuala Lumpur. So, we enjoyed time driving around the city and eating at a few of her favorite restaurants, including a Thai Restaurant and a Noodle House.

We traveled home on Saturday so we missed going to our  Saturday Branch this week.

This last week was a busy week for us with the travel,  and was fun to see a new country, but it sure feels good to be back in Hong Kong. I guess it hasn't taken long for us to make this little apartment of ours are new home.

This was such a highlight of our mission so far,  having lunch with Brother Chan whom Lynn taught the Gospel in 1973.

Kuala Lumpur Malaysia,  the Petronas Towers and Park.

First stop in the tower was the skybridge linking one tower to the other.

It was the perfect place to get a good view of Kuala Lumpur.

View from the Observation Deck.

Roaming the market place.

Prior to our meeting with the Malaysian Ministry of Women.   Notice no missionary tags.  When meeting with Government leaders we can't send any kind of message that we are trying to convert the Muslim people to our church.

Visiting one of the Mosques

Here I am with Carol Ng,  our Public Affairs Director in Malaysia

This Mosque was very nice, but not near as big and beautiful as the "Blue Mosque" we visited when in Istanbul a couple of years ago.

This is the Parliament House.

We climbed up to the Batu Caves where once inside we saw Hindu temples and shrines.   Wild monkeys everywhere!  I learned my lesson in Thailand.    I held on tightly to my phone, and didn't get too close to take pictures!

Inside the Caves.  

A wonderful experience traveling to Malaysia.  Our last meeting was with Carol,  our Public Affairs Director,  and Raja,  (Raja is Muslim),   who works closely with LDS Charities providing wheelchairs for those in need  who can't afford them.  Raja is a wonderful friend to the Church.  

Mother's Day in Hong Kong

This week when we arrived at the Temple we learned that a large group of members from Thailand had arrived earlier in the day and that we would be working a full session. The Hong Kong Temple has two Ordinance Rooms and each room seats thirty-eight patrons. The first evening Session begins at six forty-five and is followed by a second Session thirty minutes later at seven-fifteen. Karen and I usually work the first Session each week and did so this week. We have experienced the Endowment in Cantonese, Mandarin, English, and Thai. We have also assisted patrons using language cards in these same languages and I had the opportunity to help a patron that only spoke Russian. The language cards are a wonderful tool if you can read English, Chinese, or Thai but this week was particularly interesting because the entire Company spoke Thai, and there are no Hong Kong Temple workers that can speak or read Thai. My observation of that experience can only be summed up by this; no group of mortals without divine intervention could ever accomplish what we were able to witness that night. Every Patron that attended the Temple that night was able to complete their purpose.

This week we attended District Conference and attended hours of meetings. I cannot remember the last time I had to sit in one place for this long. Elder Toronto an Area Seventy presided and is a great teacher and presented a strong doctrinal message concerning Missionary Work. He pointed out that there is no reference to the term “Missionary Work” in the General Handbook of Instructions for Priesthood Leaders. He made this point by having the District President search the Handbook for this term. President Holyoake could not find “Missionary Work” but did find the term “Member Missionary Work”.

The highlight of the week was a special Branch Relief Society Activity held in conjunction with District Conference and honored  Mother’s Day. Prior to the meeting, the Branch Relief Society President asked the Branch Presidency to provide a message from their children and grandchildren to their Wife’s for Mother’s Day. The Beckstead Family came through with flying colors and Karen was able to hear from all her family how much they love her.

Click on the link below to see the video.

Happy Mother's Day





Last week we took a ferry to Discovery Bay where we had a nice lunch with Chattertons and Sorensons.   From Discovery Bay we took another ferry to  Peng Chau Island  to walk around a little.  It was a nice relaxing day.   Lynn wanted me to buy this hat,  but I was fine with just taking a picture!



Peng Chau was a quiet little Island.  Lynn liked seeing the old men playing Chinese Checkers (which is nothing like American Chinese Checkers).  He  saw men playing all the time when he was a young missionary in Hong Kong.

I think these guys want to go fishing!

Elder Chatterton,  Elder Sorenson,  Elder Beckstead

Mother's Day was wonderful.  The sisters in our branch put on a program,  but the highlight was the surprise for me and the other two Senior Sister missionaries when our husbands played a video for each of us of our children and grandchildren wishing us a happy Mother's Day.   It was so special for me to see  all our daughters, sons-in-law,  and grandkids up on the screen surprising me with Mother's Day wishes.  It was wonderful! 

Visiting Kwun Tong

We are still pinching ourselves each day to make sure that our experience here in Hong Kong is not just a dream.

We celebrated two holidays this week with seven and a half million of our new Chinese friends here on this small island in the South China Sea. Monday was Labour Day and Wednesday Buddha’s Birthday. Monday, we went out and about with Elder and Sister Chatterton to visit John’s old stomping grounds in Kwun Tong. It was fun watching Elder Chatterton try to find the old Chapel and the apartment he lived in as a young Elder. Things have changed quite a bit over the last forty years. Two days later we spent most of Buddha’s Birthday in the office away from the crowds. As part of the celebration on Wednesday they build bun towers. These towers are constructed of steamed edible dough pastries and extend upward of twenty feet or more.

After the holidays, Karen spent the next day going to the Temple and a luncheon with the Area Presidency and the other Senior Missionaries while I sat home close to the bathroom nursing a very active digestive tract.  Elder Sellers sent home with Karen some antibiotics and Imodium, which were received with much gratitude, and yes, I am feeling much better – thank you.

The next day we decided to test the doctor’s recommended treatment by joining Elder and Sister Pett for a ride on the giant Ferris wheel in the Central Area. Fortunately for everyone involved, the anti-biotic worked,   and we experienced a beautiful view of the harbour.

We were able to get quite a bit of work done this week, especially on Wednesday when the office was closed for the holiday and we were one of just a few couples there. In the quiet we were able to catch up on our News briefs, CRM, Corus articles, Public Affairs Network web site, and other loose ends that seem to pile up.

Karen finished up with her Self Reliance sessions this week and will be offering fourteen Filipino Sisters Certificates of Completion in a Graduation Ceremony that her and Sister Jenson will be planning in the near future. We are looking forward to recognizing this achievement and the blessings that will come through the efforts of these amazing ladies.

Visiting one of the chapels in  Kwun Tong  

Our new friend Jerry Mak loved showing us around the building with it's little courtyard in back.

Across the street from the church!

This is the view from the Ferris Wheel in Central Hong Kong.  We took a ride the other night with our good friends Elder and Sister Pett.  It was so fun,  and the view was great.

On the Ferris Wheel 

Elder and Sister Pett serve in the Mission Home Office.  They finish their mission and go home in a few days.  We really enjoy their friendship,  we'll miss them!